Armenian-Turkish normalization has nothing to do with the Karabakh peace process, Vice Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, Spokesperson for the ruling Republican Party, Eduard Sharmazanov told ArmInfo when commenting on Turkish President Recep Erdogan's statements in Baku.
To recall, the Turkish president promised to demand NATO fulfill "the commitments to Azerbaijan." He also said that the Karabakh conflict's resolution remains a priority for Ankara. In this light, Sharmazanov reiterated that the Armenian-Turkish relations cannot be normalized as long as there are any preconditions to that process. Furthermore, he said, any attempts to link the Armenian- Turkish normalization and the Karabakh peace process are inadmissible.
"As for NATO's involvement into the peace process, one should not forget that it is the OSCE Minsk Group that mediating the conflict, not the Alliance. In addition, the leaders of the OSCE MG co-chair states have repeatedly stated that the conflict must be settled on the basis of the principles: the people's right to self-determination, non use of force, and territorial integrity. This is the common view of the co- chair states," Sharmazanov said.